Barbecue/Smoker Recommendations

[fifi]

I have a New Braunfels that I have used for about 5 years. It still works really well. No problems controlling temperature or keeping the smoke in. Given the price, about $150, if it got out of wack after 5 years I would still consider it a bargain. Maybe you got an earlier model that was more flimsy. The only complaint I have is that they don't have a drain hole in the smoking chamber to drain off fat, or rainwater that gets in. I intend to fix that when it comes out of storage, I have a house again, and can smoke up a neighborhood. Not being able to go smoke somethin' is killing me.

[Stone]

Sorry I didn't warn people eariler. But we don't discuss grilling here.

[jeniac42]

OK, so, in order to avoid conversation about grilling:

I was at Lowe's yesterday and saw a Brinkmann smoker for $45 (I think it's called the Gourmet, although the tag at Lowe's read "gourment"). From reading through threads here, I understand these are not the best of smokers. What I'm wondering is, would one of these be adequate to get a beginner started for a year or two, or are they so difficult to use as to just be frustrating and discouraging? I would like to get something a little better but since a) the finances aren't great and b) I haven't bbq'ed before and cannot therefore be 100% certain I'll love it, I was wondering if starting cheap might be an option.

[col klink]

Is this the one?

I have no experience with these but it looks just like a weber bullet. You can do some pretty good smoking in a bullet and this "Gourmet" seems to have everything the bullet has for far less. At $45 it doesn't seem like an unwise investment. Then again it could be a POS. But if you get a year's worth out of it, who cares? Has anyone used one of these?

[=Mark]

When I decided to start smoking I was discussing it with a guy who had just taken delivery of a $4500 trailer mounted Klose log burner. He also had 2 Weber Smokey Mountains (WSMs) and a Brinkmann Stainless bullet. I had mentioned the thought of buying a WSM, at which point he interrupted. He said that he never used the stainless Brinkmann anymore, but that it retailed for close to the same price as a WSM. He offered to sell it to me for $25.

He then said he was perfectly aware that I could go straight to the WSM and immediately start turning out excellent BBQ easily. But... If I instead really wanted to immerse oneself in the art of BBQ then to begin on a Brinkmann style bullet smoker would require that I learn the very basic details of fire control. Since the Brinkmann (Known on the BBQ lists as the ECB or "El Cheapo Brinkmann") does not have any air intake vents one controls the heat and smoke by constant attention to the addition of fuel, degree of seasonedness of the wood chunks (You find out soon that if all smoke ceases that one of the wood chunks has flared up and you better get moving before you have a major temp spike on your hands). All in all you have to poke and prod like every 15 minutes for the whole session, a daunting task for a pork butt or dare one contemplate a 12 hour brisket?

After playing with an ECB and honing ones skills at playing with fire and learning to master it, the transition to a WSM is even more of a pleasure. Having gained a thorough knowledge of fire control the WSM frees you up to experiment with the other aspects of BBQ not related to simply maintaining temp and smoke. Rubs, sauces, brining. Differences in cuts of meat as well as the suprisingly inscrutable means for determining doneness.

Of course this is all within the narrow realm of H2O bullet smokers. Moving on to log burners and open pits fired with hardwood coals is a whole other country...

[jeniac42]

That's the one, Klink. Thanks for looking up a picture of it. I'm not too convinced about the green color, but hey, I guess I'm not buying a smoker for style, eh?

I might just get that one, having thought along the same lines as what =Mark said. Of course, it's supposed to be snowing here on Sunday so the chances of my smoking anything this weekend (aside from cigarettes) (I know, you CAN bbq when it's cold but I don't want to start out that way) are pretty slim.

We shall see. *rubs hands together*

[CathyL]

The FAQ site =Mark mentioned suggests some modifications to improve the ECB's performance and ease of use. Click.

You think that's a funny-looking green cooker? You should see mine.

[LBNoble]

I have a Brinkmann Smoke n' Grill, an electric smoker (a heresy, I know). It's 9 years old, we've moved 6 times, sometimes it's in the shed, sometimes we leave it out & have to dump out the water when it rains. I think we paid about $45 for it & it's definitely been worth it. It doesn't have the 'fiddle' factor of the natural charcoal ones, adjust the vents & the temp, all you have to do is throw in the chips, make sure the water pan doesn't run dry, plug it in & forget it. A few weeks ago, I smoked a turkey breast in an absolute DOWNPOUR, with an umbrella propped over it (I don't recommend this, but it survived & noone was electrocuted). I'd love to have a high-tech smoker, but something like this will get you started & keep you going for awhile. Getting ready to throw on a big Boston butt, to celebrate my DH's homecoming... Linda

[jeniac42]

See, the main problem I have with green is this: I went to a private high school; our colors were green and white; therefore, I was forced to wear hideous green wool jumpers (the US version) in the winter and hideous green-and-white-striped seersucker jumpers in the spring and fall. Then we got green kilts, and we could have green sweaters, and green socks, and....

I'll take a look at that page in the FAQ. I've read about half of it so far, but I must've missed that thar part.

[hollywood]

See, the main problem I have with green is this: I went to a private high school; our colors were green and white; therefore, I was forced to wear hideous green wool jumpers (the US version) in the winter and hideous green-and-white-striped seersucker jumpers in the spring and fall.  Then we got green kilts, and we could have green sweaters, and green socks, and.... 

I'll take a look at that page in the FAQ.  I've read about half of it so far, but I must've missed that thar part.

So you must enjoy going to Williams Sonoma....

[sladeums]

That's the one, Klink.  Thanks for looking up a picture of it.  I'm not too convinced about the green color, but hey, I guess I'm not buying a smoker for style, eh?

That comes in black, too.

That's the $80+ model.

[jeniac42]

That comes in black, too.

That's the $80+ model.

Really? I could swear it's the one they have at Lowe's for $45. Maybe I'll stop in there and copy down the details tomorrow. Still, I think as long as it's functional it might be a good way for me to go for this year... and if I get two years of use out of it, all the better. I'd love to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving (I almost always do at least 2 birds for, what, six people? heh). Although I've heard smoking doesn't do great things for poultry skin, so I guess the other one would have to be another high-roast bird. Mmm.

(It's almost dinner time, so my normally food-oriented thoughts are targeted and locked.)

Another question, =Mark talks about the fire control. I can imagine what you might do if it's not hot enough, but what do you do when you fear it's going to get TOO hot?

[jeniac42]

Oh, and Williams-Sonoma: I am convinced they are a bastion of evil because they sell a Kitchen Aid stand mixer in a beautiful robin's egg blue, specifically to torment me because they know I already have a cobalt blue one that will probably last me the rest of my life.

[sladeums]

That comes in black, too.

That's the $80+ model.

Really? I could swear it's the one they have at Lowe's for $45. Maybe I'll stop in there and copy down the details tomorrow. Still, I think as long as it's functional it might be a good way for me to go for this year... and if I get two years of use out of it, all the better. ....

Yeah, the one pictured above is slightly larger and the bottom, judging only from what I can see, appears to be more air tight.

--then again, maybe they just have a helluva deal at Lowe's

The cheaper one is here (they do look similar):Click for Brinkmann Smoke n Grill

I have this one (two actually)...it's fine. I don't use it much for smoking because with my first few attempts I couldn't get down how to keep the temp consistent w/o a lot of attention so kinda gave up.

Grill on it a lot, though.

[jeniac42]

OK, I went and looked at Lowe's and it seems they just have a helluva deal. Here is a link to the one I was thinking of getting, which I believe is the same one Klink linked:

Brinkmann Deluxe Gourmet Charcoal Smoker

And here's the one I think sladeums just linked, for $13.47 (jeez):

Brinkmann Smoke'n'Grill

[sladeums]

OK, I went and looked at Lowe's and it seems they just have a helluva deal.  Here is a link to the one I was thinking of getting, which I believe is the same one Klink linked:

Brinkmann Deluxe Gourmet Charcoal Smoker

And here's the one I think sladeums just linked, for $13.47 (jeez):

Brinkmann Smoke'n'Grill

Get one of 'em...that's a damn good price.

[CathyL]

In my zip code, it's $22.45.

Still a damn good price. Just do it, Jen.

[Dave the Cook]

In my zip code, it's $22.45. 

Still a damn good price.  Just do it, Jen.

Wow. Down South it's $44.97.

[jeniac42]

To be clear, I haven't actually seen the cheaper one in any of the Lowe's stores here (went to about four of them last Sunday to look at grills and shelving). The Gourmet one is 44.97 here and that's the one I'll probably end up getting. Then I can start referring to it as my ECB, right?

[sladeums]

To be clear, I haven't actually seen the cheaper one in any of the Lowe's stores here (went to about four of them last Sunday to look at grills and shelving).  The Gourmet one is 44.97 here and that's the one I'll probably end up getting.  Then I can start referring to it as my ECB, right? 

Word...

<50 is a great price for that model.

The 'cheap' one I bought new about 8 years ago for $35+ - you can get a step up for just a little more (and I'm talkin' 1990's prices!!!).

The second one I got was not paid for in cash but was given to me by a co-worker who had to work 5 years to 'earn' it as a 'gift'.

They (Lowe's) have just as competitive prices on some other grills/smokers as well...definitely a resource to keep in mind.

I'd have to look through it again, but it seemed to me that the instructions for modding the hardware was aimed at the cheaper model - - but I think most of it would apply to the other.

Damn...just cook some meat already!!

[sladeums]

In my zip code, it's $22.45. 

Still a damn good price.  Just do it, Jen.

Wow. Down South it's $44.97.

For which one, the Smoke n Grill or the Deluxe Charcoal Smoker?

[Dave the Cook]

In my zip code, it's $22.45. 

Still a damn good price.  Just do it, Jen.

Wow. Down South it's $44.97.

For which one, the Smoke n Grill or the Deluxe Charcoal Smoker?

That's for the Deluxe. The Smoke 'n' Grill is $13.47.

Sorry for the confusion.

[jeniac42]

Damn...just cook some meat already!!

Yeah, I know. It's just that I have to occupy the barbeque brain cells somehow until I actually manage to purchase and use the darn thing.

[=Mark]

Another question, =Mark talks about the fire control.  I can imagine what you might do if it's not hot enough, but what do you do when you fear it's going to get TOO hot?

Actually high temperature spikes are more of a problem than low temps. As you state making the smoker hotter is easier than cooling it down. In some situations there is no choice but to remove the lid until the fire calms down.

In general one slowly builds up the fire by adding fuel bit by bit and monitoring the temp. Keep in mind that a fire has a degree of momentum, and the resulting temperature from added fuel has a time lag as it catches fire and begins to add heat. Likewise when the fire is starting to cool there is a delay in heating it up by adding fuel. You need to anticipate the need for more fuel or to let it burn down a bit. What you hope to achieve is a balance with as little variation as possible.

Of course the WSM with it's vented air intake negates most of this niggling around with the fire so one can concentrate on drinking beer and telling lies...

[NewYorkTexan]

Does anyone have experience with the New Braunfels Bandera smoker? It looks like the fire box could be used as a good small grill and vertical smoker would hold enough meat for the entire neighborhood.

What are the pro/con issues of a vertical smoker?

picture this